Episode 351
Finally, I couldn’t put it off any longer and went inside Room 403. Contrary to what I had feared, there were no dangerous monsters or traps like sinkholes prepared.
This place was similar to a room escape game that can be enjoyed in real life.
“Uh… I guess we should look into it first, right?”
There are a total of 2 rooms, including the master bedroom. There is also one door leading to the veranda. In total, none of the three doors were open. However, when I tried to go outside again, I couldn’t because the front door was locked. In the end, the only option left to them was to search the living room and kitchen.
After hearing Han Do-yoon’s words, Woo Soo-young headed to the kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator. Garam Yoon called her with curiosity.
“Mr. Jooyoung?”
“I was wondering if there was anything to eat. Because I don’t know when I’ll be able to go out…”
“Oh, that’s true too.”
After scanning the kitchen, Woo Joo-young looked at Kim Ki-jeong and asked.
“But I don’t see any red pepper powder?”
“…yes?”
“Well, these days, not many people make their own kimchi, so it’s not that strange. There’s nothing red in the refrigerator or in the kitchen drawers. “Even in the place where I store spices, there’s at most salt and pepper… I don’t think there are any spicy ingredients.”
“Ah, that’s right. that’s right.”
Kim Ki-jeong said it as if he remembered it now because it was a long time ago.
“I wasn’t even allowed to eat kimchi because it didn’t hurt my throat.”
“Is that a human?”
“yes?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Woo Woo-young smiled as neatly as a picture and placed a key in Kim Ki-jeong’s hand.
“I found it in the kitchen drawer. “Is this something you know?”
“…I think it’s my room key. “I don’t really remember, but it’s probably right.”
“Oh, the key to Kim Ki-jeong’s room? Why is it in the kitchen? “Maybe it’s because it’s a secret world, but it’s in a strange place.”
“It’s not like it’s a secret world, it’s probably like this in real life too. They didn’t let me leave the room unless I finished practicing. I think my mother took care of it, but I didn’t know she hid it in the kitchen. Well, I haven’t had anything to write since I became a middle school student….”
“….”
Kim Ki-jeong was surprised to see Joo Woo-young’s expression crumpled and took a step back.
“Oh no, of course it’s not normal behavior, yes. Yes, it’s a strange thing, but…”
“But?”
“I don’t intend to defend my parents, so would you please straighten your face? “I get scared because I feel like I’m getting scolded for no reason.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…”
Kim Ki-jeong looked at Woo Joo-young’s face, which was obediently released, and breathed a sigh of relief as he checked the key she gave him. An inexpensive silver, nondescript key. The key to the room in his memory was correct.
Kim Ki-jeong said after wiping the keys with a handkerchief.
“Then let’s go to my room.”
His room was located right in front of the front door.
“Oh, it’s a piano.”
“Oh my… it’s a grand piano. “I know it’s expensive.”
As soon as the door was opened, the survivors were amazed and amazed by the white piano that filled the small room. An expensive piano that does not fit into a home that looks somewhat old and impoverished. The grand piano, which took up more than half of the child’s room, was alone and shining brightly, creating a strange sense of discomfort.
Kim Ki-jeong, the only one who was not possessed by the sense of discomfort, approached the piano.
“Maybe it’s like this… if you open the lid…”
Kim Ki-jeong, who opened the lid of the closed piano and set it up on a support, reached inside the piano and took out something.
“Oh, there is.”
“…chocolate? Why does it come out there?”
“I secretly hid it and ate it.”
“….”
“…I know I feel sorry for myself, so don’t look at me like that!”
Kim Ki-jeong shouted with an embarrassed face, clutching a small bag of chocolate.
“Uh, anyway… since this was the only place I hid anything when I was young, I thought the key would come out like in the kitchen. “There’s nothing there except chocolate.”
Han Do-yoon let out an exclamation as he approached Kim Ki-jeong, who was fiddling with an unopened bag of chocolate.
“Wow, this has been discontinued.”
“…Do you know?”
“This is my cousin’s favorite snack. My older brother is 10 years older than me… and because he likes sweet things, I ate chocolate from different brands. “I remember it being one of them.”
“Have you tried it?”
“No, I don’t like sweets very much. “It’s not that I can’t eat as well as In-ho Jeong, but I’m not the type of person who goes out of his way to eat.”
“Ah, Mr. Jeong In-ho…”
Kim Ki-jeong shrugged his shoulders, remembering Jeong In-ho, who would swallow sweets as if they were poison, even in the park. The taste of a person named Jeong In-ho had nothing to do with Kim Ki-jeong.
“Then I guess I made a good decision not to try it. “It was delicious because it had marshmallow and caramel inside, but it was too sweet, so it was a snack that people didn’t like.”
Garam Yoon, who joined them while they were chatting, said to Kijeong Kim.
“If it’s okay with you, could you play the piano for me?”
“…A piano?”
Kim Ki-jeong opened his eyes wide at the unexpected suggestion, and Yoon Gar-ram nodded.
“Kim Ki-jeong, you don’t seem to be able to feel it, but the piano is the only thing that catches your eye in this room. Should I say that I feel like I’m shining alone….”
“Shine?”
“I don’t really feel like I have a halo.”
“Did Han Do-yoon and Woo Woo-young feel it too?”
The two people who asked his question made eye contact and answered.
“Ah yes. I thought Kim Ki-jeong knew you and touched the piano, but I’m surprised you didn’t see him. What can I say about that piano… it looks like it has a gold border. That’s how I feel. “Why is there some clumsy CG?”
“I felt like someone was pointing an arrow at the piano… Yes, me too.”
After hearing the two’s answers, Kim Ki-jeong sat down on the piano stool after a moment of contemplation. Han Do-yoon, who was looking at him with concern at his calm appearance, grabbed Kim Ki-jeong’s shoulder and asked.
“are you okay? “I don’t seem to have any good memories, but I force myself to do it…”
“What can I do if I force it? I guess I’ll just have to go out and see.”
“That too, but….”
“It’s okay.”
Kim Ki-jeong sighed and opened the piano cover.
“I wouldn’t say it wasn’t difficult, but I wasn’t working as a conductor just because I was stuck in the past. This industry is not so easy that people are forced to get into this position by their parents. “I got this job of my own accord.”
“Ah…”
“I can’t say that I haven’t been pushed around at all, but… the bad guys I’m scared of are my parents, not music or the piano, so you don’t have to worry that much.”
Kim Ki-jeong’s expression was slightly crumpled as he placed his hands on the keyboard.
“…Well, I feel bad.”
In real life, Kim Ki-jeong was proud of his own talent and took joy in making his name known in the music world, but even though he overcame it, not everything was stable. It also played a part in the fact that his parents were causing trouble even now that he had become independent.
But being pushed by someone to play the piano again was truly a terrible thing.
* * *
Hong Gyeong-jun, Jeong In-ho, and Ha Seong-yoon were taken to the police station, including the mandatory standby team that included Lee Yun-byeol and the elderly and vulnerable in Munsan County, but no major problems arose. Aside from the fact that the survivors were cooperative with each other, the situation itself was quite generous.
“The police station is convenient….”
“There’s a convenience store nearby.”
“No monsters come in.”
The mannequin monster working inside the police station wasn’t very interested in them, and since the police officer, Hong Gyeong-jun, was there, going to and from the nearby convenience store wasn’t too difficult. Of course, you had to pay a price to buy something at a convenience store, but that was enough to sell useless clothes or other monster items.
Moreover, the reason I went to the convenience store was to prepare for an unexpected situation, and I still had enough food from the garden, so there was no problem with food, clothing, and shelter.
“…But….”
But there is a problem.
“Have you had any contact from other teams?”
“Why are you so late…?”
The problem was that there was no contact from the survivors who had left the apartment complex to get information.
Cell phones cannot be used except at school, and those cell phones are now dead and useless, so such direct contact is impossible, but no matter what, they should have made a fuss and reported the news of survival or returned briefly for an interim report.
The promised three days have already passed.
“It seems clear that there is a problem.”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who had just entered the police station, called Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon.
As a police officer, he had the advantage of not being approached by monsters in the shopping district, so he came alone to check for smoke coming from the apartment complex.
“I scanned the entire apartment complex just in case, but at least there was smoke rising from the sinkhole… and the key ring monster search team led by Do-yoon Han was nowhere to be seen.”
“I guess I should say it’s fortunate that we were able to contact the sinkhole side at least.”
Jeong In-ho spoke in response to Ha Seong-yoon’s lamenting tone.
“But the fact that the sinkhole side hasn’t returned yet….”
“It’s highly likely that the situation there is also in a sluggish situation. “There were no other signals other than reports of survival, so it may not be a dangerous situation, but if either Lee Jae-heon or police officer Kim Yeon-woo had been found, a separate signal would have been sent.”
“…The situation has gone awry in many ways.”
Jeong In-ho, who spoke, Hong Gyeong-jun, who responded, and Ha Seong-yoon, who listened to the two, did not look very good. The other side of the world was a world where it was difficult to survive for more than three days in a hole you were unprepared for.
‘I didn’t feel any special signs, so I’m not saying he died, but it’s not an optimistic situation either.’
Hong Gyeong-jun was also frowning as if he was thinking the same thing as Jeong In-ho. Considering Hong Gyeong-jun, who usually walks around with an expressionless face, it was a rare event, but he was understandably nervous as Lee Jae-heon, whom he relied on, and Kim Yeon-woo, who he had a crush on, were left behind. Jeong In-ho quietly agreed.
“We should go and see.”
For now, that was the only way.
“Didn’t you say that when we first split into teams? “If I don’t hear from you for three days, I will join you.”
“Really… I had no idea in reality that not being able to use a cell phone would be this much of an inconvenience. There aren’t many ways to contact us, so we don’t know if the other person is alive or dead, and even if they are alive, we don’t know if they are in danger of dying soon. “It’s frustrating.”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was complaining, quickly nodded and continued speaking.
“I think it would be a good idea for us to visit. Considering that there was no change at the police station even though Hong Gyeong-jun was away for quite a long time, it would be okay to leave the standby team here. “I’ve prepared a lot of food in advance to prepare for this kind of situation, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem to stay away for a few days.”
“That’s…”
“They’re not people who don’t know anything like Daegi Jo. Although it is not something that can be used freely, the grandmother has healing abilities, and Lee Yun-byeol also received separate survival lessons. Mr. Munsan is a strong adult man, and Dayoung and Dahun are smart friends.”
“…What Ha Seong-yoon said is correct.”
Hong Gyeong-jun answered with his arms crossed.
“Now that things have come to this, we, the surplus manpower, will have to check on the uncontacted exploration team.”
Losing four members of the exploration team while trying to save two people who fell into a sinkhole was a huge loss, even by simple mathematical calculations. Hong Gyeong-jun, who made the decision, quickly organized the situation and left a request to the waiting team. It seemed to roughly tell us how to respond to an emergency situation.
Ha Seong-yoon spoke to Jeong In-ho, who was looking at him blankly.
“Are you okay?”
“…well.”
“Seeing that you’re responding, it’s definitely better than before.”
“I don’t know why you’re so anxious because you can’t eat me.”
“That can’t be right.”
Ha Seong-yoon smiled softly and said.
“I like In-ho Jeong.”
“lie.”
“That could be true.”
“….”
Jeong In-ho knew that this strong doctor was also pushed to his limits.
‘No, I guess I already knew this from when I was in the garden.’
He blinked lazily.
Ha Seong-yoon has been out of his mind ever since he used my patient Lee Jae-heon to buy medicine at a pharmacy or even before that. I think the damage to his pride as a doctor was a big factor…
“…”
Jeong In-ho silently clenched his fists tightly.
‘…Where on earth and what are you doing is why I still haven’t heard from you.’
It wasn’t a story about Han Do-yoon’s team who went to find out about the key ring monster. It was the story of Lee Jae-heon and Kim Yeon-woo, who suddenly fell into a sinkhole, and also their resentment toward Kang Min-ah’s team, who went into the sinkhole to find them.
I shouldn’t blame the stragglers who fell into a trap that was close to a natural disaster or the rescuers who stepped up to help them, but I couldn’t help but feel increasingly frustrated because the process was a mess and the immediate results were unsatisfactory.
“Mr. Jeong In-ho?”
“…Did you call me?”
“….”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who looked at me strangely for a moment, answered.
“Those who have been left behind will be able to find them quickly.”
“Yes, I guess so.”
“What I meant was, don’t look like you’re going to kill anyone.”
In this episode, thanks to just resting all the time, it wasn’t difficult to manage my facial expressions. Was it not the smiling that was the problem, but the eyes that were the problem? Jeong In-ho stammered at Hong Gyeong-jun’s words.
The lips were curved.
“…I will be careful.”
It was a little unfair. It’s not that I wanted to kill anyone, I just resented the people who were going to die soon.
‘Still, I guess I should say that we’ve been living in peace at this rate.’
Unlike the last session, this one was truly peaceful and comfortable. Even though Lee Jae-heon and Kim Yeon-woo are left behind in the end and things are getting more and more complicated, that is something that has happened every time and is a natural progression, so Jeong In-ho’s resentment is nothing more than an unreasonable act coming from a young heart.
If things continue this way, everyone will die anyway. It was natural.
‘So there’s no reason for me to visit Lee Jae-heon.’
His heart was pounding and he was completely unconscious, but in this state, Jung In-ho was not the right person to go to the sinkhole. Who can a crazy person who can’t even take care of himself save?
No matter how impatient and frustrated he was, In-ho Jeong could not go to look for Jae-heon Lee or Yeon-woo Kim. Even if you go looking for them, there is a low probability that the stragglers will be alive. The only thing he was allowed to do in this episode was to go look for Han Do-yoon’s team, who he couldn’t contact.
“It looks like everyone is ready…”
“Yes, let’s move.”
“great.”
As Hong Gyeong-jun and Ha Seong-yoon headed outside the police station, Jeong In-ho also took steps. He opened the door and walked out, muttering softly.
“…I hope it goes well.”
Jae-heon Lee always dies without In-ho Jeong seeing him.
Will it happen this time too?
That will happen.
* * *
For the next day, they were locked in the apartment.
(Continued in the next part)
